The Enemy Within: The Mind
Since eternity, we have mistaken our greatest enemy, the mind, for our greatest friend. When the mind says, "Do this," we smile and say, "Alright." The mind, being the offspring of Māyā, naturally seeks to drag us into the material world with all its might. It is extremely powerful - it has defeated great ascetics who recognized it as an enemy. So, what will happen to those who do not even consider it an enemy? They become mere puppets, dancing to the whims of the mind. The mind commands, "Eyes - look at the world!" "Ears - listen to worldly talks!" It controls all the senses and drags the soul through 8.4 million life forms while the helpless soul wanders aimlessly.
Even an exalted Paramahaṁsa like Rāmakṛṣṇa Paramahaṁsa had an attachment to money. To break this attachment, he took a handful of mud in one hand and money in the other, repeatedly saying, "ṭākā-māṭī, ṭākā-māṭī" (in Bengali, ṭākā means money), drilling into his intellect that money is mere dirt. This practice helped him detach his mind from it. Similarly, Swami Rāmatīrtha had a strong attachment to apples. He wanted to overcome this attachment to them. So, he placed an apple before him but refused to eat it. He consumed everything else, such as dal, roti, and other food, but left the apple untouched. He declared, "I will never eat you! I will not listen to my mind. I have my own resolve!" Eventually, the mind surrendered.
A monkey is naturally restless. When a madārī, the street performer, wants to control it, he first ties it with a 50-foot rope. The rope tightens around its neck as the monkey tries to move beyond this limit. After several attempts, it realizes the restriction and learns to stay within the 50-foot boundary. Then, the madārī shortens the rope to 25 feet. Gradually, he reduces it until just a 1-foot rope binds the monkey. At this point, the monkey sits quietly and obediently performs tricks as per the madārī’s signals.
When the siddhis (mystic powers) appeared before Lord Rishabh, He asked them, "Why have you come?" They replied, "To serve you." He told them, "Who invited you here? Get out! I do not accept servants who align with my greatest enemy - the mind. You will lure my mind into seeking power and miracles for fame, separating me from God. I am God’s incarnation, and if I act wrongly, others will follow suit." Then, He declared,
Na kuryātkarhicitsakhyaṃ manasi hyanavasthite - Never befriend the restless mind.
Why?
yoginaḥ kṛta maitrasya patyurjāyeva puṃścalī
Because the mind is an enemy, just like an unchaste wife who conspires with her lover to kill her husband.
The mind conspires with its mother, Māyā, to bring about the downfall of the soul, which is the child of God. Yet, the soul blindly follows the mind, thinking, "I feel like doing this." Even if the intellect reminds it, "But Guru Ji said otherwise!" the mind argues, "Maybe, but I want this."
Until a person surrenders their mind to the following,
- The instructions of the Guru
- The instructions of the Vedas
One will continue to wander through countless births and be unable to attain God-realization.
Therefore, never befriend the mind; otherwise, one cannot attain God even after countless births.
In the material world, enmity ends when one party apologizes. However, even if the mind apologizes a hundred times, do not trust it, for it will deceive and mislead you the 101st time.
Therefore, always be vigilant - only follow the instructions of the Guru and scriptures, and use them to control and direct your mind toward the right area. Do not heed the mind’s desires. It only seeks the temporary pleasure of the senses to which it is habituated. Therefore, always stay aware of your enemy.
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